Yakiniku Viking TRY (Korean BBQ) – CLOSED

Editor’s Note: As of July 2016, we have been informed that this establishment was closed and reopened as the “Chatan Dragon”. We are leaving this post in our archives for those of you who may be looking for it. If anyone would like to write a new review of the new restaurant in its place, please see our Submissions Page for more information.

CONTRIBUTED BY ROBIN LESIEUR

This is one of my family’s favorite lunch places on Okinawa. Not only for the options of great food, but for the price, too. It’s all you can eat, buffet-style. A great place for family fun dining. The staff has always been kind, courteous and prompt. You will find tradition Japanese seating as well as American-style benches. Let’s take a look at the buffet options: (Meats, soups, salads & more) you gather your food and sit down to your own grill at your table. Lunch lasts 90 minutes. You can choose different lengths of time to eat dinner for different prices. There is also an all-you-can-drink option.

My husband & I have this down like clockwork – one sits at the table with the kids and one picks out the food, letting the other start cooking the meats. As you see here!

You can figure out your own Plan of Action. We’ve come to realize that a community plate of cooked meat works best. Then we each grab and dip into the sauce provided on the table.

Directions: From KAB Gate 1 take a left, heading towards Foster on 58. The light right before the Foster Commissary Gate you will see a Ramayana and the TRY parking lot, make a U-turn at that light. It’s now going to be on your left hand side.

I’ve lived here in Okinawa for 20 years. I do love a good yakiniku and I’ve eaten at a lot of places, including this Viking numerous times over the years.
I went there last night (18 May 2014) and I’ll have to say that it was the worst yakinuku meal I’ve ever had in my life.
The meat was of the lowest quality. Most of it riddled with grizzle that turned gray when you cooked it. The taste was non existent or in the case of the “marinated” meats, just pure sweet.

The vegetables and other things available to eat were limited and looked to have been out for some time.

The only thing GOOD here was the ice-cream.

It may be cheap at 1600Y for 60 minutes, but it’s REALLY not worth it. Go eat at Micky D’s or even better, Ghengis Khan. This place needs to close down. It’s horrible!

We went there last night for dinner. I was a little bummed that I never got my potatoes to cook because they give you a metal cupcake wrapper instead of a tray. I don’t really like the chicken but my husband ate it. This place is a steal for lunch but for dinner and the price, I’d rather go to An-An or Goen. The selection was limited and it became less about trying new things and more about eating fast. We also did the divide and conquer, worked great. The staff were very friendly and even gave us our 10 minute warning. Their drink machines are impressive, they have some type of hot banana drink.

I was hesitant to go to this restaurant after reading a couple comments about the chicken being really fatty, because I feared it being the case for all the meats, so I thought I’d throw my experience in. I am EXTREMELY picky about fat on meat, and I absolutely loved the food here! There were a lot of fatty cuts, but it was not difficult or time consuming to select lean pieces. That being said, my visit reflected what others said about the chicken… pretty much half of each piece consists of fat. If you are picky like I am and have your heart set on chicken, you might want to forego this place. Since my husband is the same way about cuts of meat, we did not try the chicken, so I can’t speak to whether or not it’s tasty with that aside.

Both the marinated beef and plain are amazing; I have no idea what it is about the little grill that makes un-marinated meat so tasty. Husband tried the pork and raved about it. While our first batch of meat was cooking, we did take advantage of the pre-cooked appetizers available and particularly enjoyed the little meatballs.

This restaurant left me so happy because it reminded me of the places I was able to visit while stationed in Korea. There were no pieces of romaine lettuce to wrap meat/rice/veggies in like there tended to be in Korea, but it did not detract from the experience. The veggie selection wasn’t extensive, and we pretty much only cooked some garlic and green bean-type things along with the meat in addition to creating little miniature salads with various dressings available.

Didn’t see it mentioned anywhere, so at the time I am posting this (we literally just went out a few hours ago), dinner is a little over 1500 yen per adult (cost approximately 3100 for both of us) for 60 minutes and goes up from there, unlimited drinks included. My husband and I finished in about 40 minutes eating extremely leisurely. They had a special they offered us, Women’s Night, which occurs on Wednesdays and allows a discounted rate of the longer time periods for females. We did not take advantage of this because cooking for the two of us (and eating as food cooked) was not very time consuming, but it would probably benefit larger families a lot. When my mother and grandmother visit, we will definitely be taking them on a Wednesday.

I went there today at lunch. They have variety of meats which I really think it’s awesome. I love plain slices beef and the sweet sauce that provide at the table. They also have fresh fried, pasta, meat ball, fried chicken, soups, etc. Everything’s good for the price 980. I love the fact that they have ice cream and also soft serve.

First off – I love this site! I am here visiting my brother, who is NOT the food lover I am. He works all day, then comes home to eat some cheese and crackers and calls that dinner. What’s up with that?!? So I have a bike, which really limits where I can go! I also have, like, NO budget, so cheaper food options where I can fill up are what I’m looking for. Today I tried this place. I went by myself, which is not really the way to go…I think it would have been better with more people – share the workload! 🙂 But I DID get my full, and 980 is really reasonable. Chicken was pretty fatty – I stuck to beef and pork. Also, I am a terrible griller – burnt half of my food! Not sure if I’ll be back – my bro won’t go, and by yourself is just not fun.

So, we went here today for lunch. I would give this restaurant 2 stars. The price is good and you get to eat for a pretty long time.
Otherwise, the meats are pretty bad. The chicken pieces are 80% fatty.
The beef is alright. The veggies are dry and not fresh at all.
Desert is stale. There were banana’s with choocolate sauce on them, but the banana’s were black, cause they were old and mushy.
The ambience is alright. Not the most comfy.

Overall experince not very pleasant. I guess you get what you pay for.

It should be mentioned that this place isn’t so great for vegetarians. There’s only onions, corn, potatos, pumpkin and green onion available for most of us. Sometimes there is mushroom available. Rice, udon and french fries are available (of course) but don’t expect a lot of variety. Kuroton, just out Kadena gate 1 (by Pizza In) is superior in my opinion-though it is pricier.

Yes, they have chicken, it’s fair- you have marinaded and non-marinaded, just pick through to get the less skin pieces. If you’re a Beef lover- try the “hamburger squares” if they are there. My family loves them so much we buy them at off base grocery stores and cook them on the grill at home.

Sorry, forgot to mention that at lunch getting there right at 11:30 is best. But if you can’t then time it around 12:30 so the seats are changing.

And the Dinner menu offers more options for meats, shrimp or prawn/scallops/kebabs and more- depending on the availability.

Dido- the Melon soda- Not many places you can find it. We too have a fond love of it when dining off base.